Some time ago, we published an article about the fishways at the Koondrook and Cohuna weirs that were constructed in late 2021. More recently, we pondered on the development of performance standards for fishways and what a good fishway looks like. Although still in development, the researchers at Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) have been collecting
Here at Finterest, our work revolves around the recovery of our precious native fish, which are an invaluable cultural, ecological, social, and environmental resource. We do it because it’s important, and because we love it. And if you’re reading this, you probably love it too. At the Native Fish Forum in Dubbo this year, I
Epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus (EHNV) is a lethal virus that infects fish through the body surface or gastrointestinal tract. Once in the host, it multiplies in the blood forming organs such as the spleen and kidney and destroys them in the process, ultimately killing the fish. EHNV is only present in Australia, endemic to catchments
From the mighty Murray cod to the beloved Golden perch, some of our favourite native species have enjoyed the benefits of learnings gathered from the Flow Monitoring, Evaluation and Research program (Flow-MER). The program uses research to investigate how water for the environment can be used to enhance specific parts or processes of the fish
A long time ago in a galaxy (not so) far, far away ... aliens infiltrated the ranks of many native fish populations and risked their very survival. Fish may not be an alien concept to us, however, for Australia’s native flora and fauna, alien species pose a real threat. Native fish declines are a big
Global warming is an increasing threat for many of earth’s ecosystems. Climate change is rapidly and drastically altering the natural world, but what effect is this having on fish and is there anything we can do about it? We know that global warming is causing rapid increases in the temperature of aquatic ecosystems on a
Recently our attention was grabbed by this stunning footage of galaxiids in the Mornington Peninsula area. We absolutely needed to know more! Read on for a short interview with the young videographer. Lucy: How old are you and where are you from? Henry: I am currently 18 years old and completing year 12. I live
If you’ve been following Finterest for a while, you may have noticed that we’ve been tracking the journey of the ‘Zombie Fish’ AKA the Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon (Mongurnda adspersa) - the fish being brought back from the brink. You may recall reading about Nature Glenelg Trust in Victor Harbour and the Middle Creek Farm
Recent floods flowing down the Murray River have well and truly reached the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Mouth of the Murray. All 593 openings across 5 barrages, which for the last 80 years have controlled flows at the Mouth of the Murray, were fully open over the summer, with freshwater, saltwater, fish and other creatures
‘Flow hydrodynamics’, ‘turbulent kinetic energy’, ‘rheotactic behaviour’ - whilst these terms might not mean much to you, they are essential parts of native fish migration in the Murray-Darling Basin. The Murray-Darling Basin is one of the most regulated river systems in the world, home to over 10,000 barriers preventing fish from migrating. These barriers
Native fish in Australia are hardy, having adapted over millennia to live in one of the driest continents on Earth. However, research shows that even the hardiest of native fish species aren’t immune to the effects of human changes to natural environments. River regulation, in particular, alters aquatic ecosystems significantly, changing the natural environment and
Fish Movement Weirs and regulators in rivers and lakes can impede or block the movement of native fish, impacting their ability to migrate and move to suitable feeding or breeding areas. While all fish need to move around to some degree, ‘flow-specialists’ like Golden perch and Silver perch need to move along rivers as part